The Other Side
by Metallicafangirl
Summary: Three years have passed since Sephiroth was defeated. Cloud has buried himself in the City of Ancients. Tifa lives in Nibelhem, tending to her bar. When she meets someone from her past, what will she do? Sequel to Last Words From A Defeated Man.
1. A Dark Stranger Enters

Here is the sequel to Last Words from a Defeated Man, I hope you like. I want to thank all my reweiwers so much, you convinced me to write this.  
  
  
  
Tifa Lockheart looked around her, sighed and picked up the rag. It was only ten in the morning, and already she had to clean the bar. It was going to be along day. She set about cleaning the tables and sweeping the floor in her little bar in Nibelhem.  
  
After the defeat of Sephiroth, the members of AVALANCHE had gone their separate ways, and now it was three years since they had all been together in one place at the same time. Cid had gone back to Rocket Town, Barret and Marlene had moved to Kalm, along with Yuffie, who refused to go back to Wutai. No-one really knew where Vincent went, but they guessed that he went back to the Mansion. Red XIII had gone to Cosmo Canyon and Cloud..  
  
Cloud had, almost directly after he had put his feet on the ground after defeating Sephiroth, proclaimed that he was going to the City of Ancients. He had gone there, built a gravestone for Aerith, and then refused to leave.  
  
Tifa had moved back to her childhood home of Nibelhem, and bought herself a bar, that she called Seventh Heaven, after the one in Midgar that was demolished. She found that it was too cumbersome to handle on her own, and therefore hired a few helpers. It was Monday, and she had agreed to take first shift on Mondays. The others would all be there from noon and forward, but one of them always took the morning shift alone.  
  
Tifa heard the door open, and glanced at the clock on the wall. It was still only half past ten. She turned and smiled at the visitor.  
  
" Hello, early aren't you?" She said, thinking it was one of her helpers, but it wasn't. It was a tall man, dressed in black, with his hood over his eyes. This, however, didn't help him, Tifa recognized him instantly, and took an involuntarily step back. This made her trip over an empty bucket, sending her sprawling to the floor. "Sephiroth!" She exclaimed. The man in black chuckled, and extended a hand to her. "Most correct, Ms Lockheart. I did not know that I was frightening enough to make you trip and fall." He said in his characteristically melodious voice. " I assure you, Ms Lockheart, I do not bite." The last comment was because she had not taken his outstretched hand. Reluctantly, she did so, and he helped her to her feet. She eyed him warily. " Am I so frightening that you have to keep an eye on me all the time, Ms Lockheart?" He asked her. " No. What are you doing here?" Tifa asked. " Oh, excuse me, you are not open? If that is the case, I will come back later." " Of course we're open! Why else do you think I would have the 'OPEN' sign on the door?" She snapped at him. She could have sworn he smiled at her. He shrugged. " I do not know. If you don't mind, I will sit down over there." He nodded towards a table in the corner. " I don't mind, as long as you pay up on time." Tifa said, shrugging as well.  
  
That's how the former AVALANCHE member, now bar owner, and a man that was supposed to be dead ended up in the same room, drinking and cleaning, as if nothing happened. Sephiroth ordered a glass of water, causing Tifa to look at him strangely until he explained that he didn't drink alcohol. 


	2. His Dying Words

The next chapter. If you wondered why Tifa let Sephiroth stay in her bar, without arguing, it will be explained, here or in a later chapter.  
  
  
  
New customers began to file in as time passed, and around noon, she had about fifteen guests all in all. Tifa was impatiently waiting for her helpers to arrive, and was quite relieved to see them step through the door. " Joe, Angela, Anne! Over here!" She waved them over. " Wassup, Tifa?" Joe asked her. " Yeah, is something wrong?" Anne wondered. " No, not really. But there is one thing you'll have to remember." " And what's that?" Angela sneered. Tifa glared at the young blond woman. " See the man in the corner over there?" She asked, instead of lashing out on Angela. " Yeah, what about him?" Anne said. " Whatever you do, don't ask him if he wants anything! If he does, he'll tell you. But don't ask him." She explained. " Why not? He seems harmless." Joe stated. " He's not, believe me." " Okay, then. Whatever you say, Tifa."  
  
Joe, Anne and Angela heeded her words, and kept out of Sephiroths way. Of course, they didn't know it was Sephiroth, but they heeded her words nonetheless. They were all curious about whom it was, but you didn't argue with Tifa when she used that tone.  
  
She had a strange temperament, moody one second and then happy the next. She zoned out very often, and could end up standing with a rag in one hand, and a dirty glass in the other, staring out in space, unseeing.  
  
People who knew her, would say she was thinking either about her father, or about Cloud. However, she spent a lot of her ´zoning-out-time´, thinking about what Sephiroth had said before he died. Even after three years, she could still remember every word.  
  
" We can rush and we can run, but we can't undo what has been done."  
  
" I'm sick of hearing my own lies ."  
  
" I will see you on the other side."  
  
Tifa snapped out of her reverie when a pair of arms caught her around the waist. She quickly turned her head, only to see Brent Collins, her fiancé of a year. She realized fairly Quickly that Cloud wasn't going to come out of the City of Ancients, and therefore got over him as fast as she could. A year ago, she had met Brent Collins, who resembled Cloud somewhat, but without the moody expression.  
  
" Hello, Brent! I didn't think you'd be here today." She said calmly. " You're no fun." He pouted. " And why not?" " It's impossible to scare you!" He said. Tifa smiled as she remembered Sephiroths coming two hours earlier. " No, Brent, it's not impossible, only very hard. What are you doing here, anyway? You said you were going to help your father today." " We were done early, and since when is it illegal to visit your fiancé?" " It's not, I was just surprised, that's all." " So, I managed to surprise you! Mission complete! Anyway, do you need any help around here?" " Well, you could bring some more beer-barrels in, they're in the shed." " Of course, anything for my lovely Tifa." Brent said, mock- bowing. Tifa laughed at his antics.  
  
She didn't notice the pair of Mako-eyes that watched her from the corner of the room.  
  
Sephiroths POV  
  
I wondered who the blond man was. It wasn't Cloud, yet Tifa let him hug her. Maybe she had given up on the dense blond ex-SOLDIER, and moved on. Maybe the man was a childhood friend. Maybe Cloud had dumped her. Arrgh, what did he care anyway? It wasn't as if he cared about who Tifa spent her time with!  
  
End of POV  
  
Sephiroth continued to watch as the blond man dragged a beer- barrel inside the now rather crowded bar. Sephiroth didn't like crowds, they were too noisy. He liked the silence of loneliness. It didn't give you a headache. That was why he didn't drink alcohol either, the hangover was nothing he'd care to spend his mornings with. He sipped his water, and continued to watch Tifa and the blond man.  
  
  
  
And the chapter ends! I will have the third chapter up as soon as possible. - Metallicafangirl. 


	3. Why Is Life Unfair?

I'm sorry about the delayed update, please don't kill me! I've got like three different stories going, and I have tests I have to study for. But here it is...  
  
Disclaimer; I own.....Uh, I can't think of anything right now, I'll get back to you on that.  
  
And some notes; /Word/ = someone is thinking " Word"=someone is talking ¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤ = change of scenery Week/Year/Day/Hour = change of time  
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Tifa stared at herself in the mirror. She didn't recognize the face staring back at her. /Why is life so unfair? /  
  
Three weeks earlier  
  
Brent had left soon after bringing the beer-barrel in, and as time wore on, the bar slowly grew empty. Tifa glanced at the clock on the wall. / Half an hour till closing time/. She turned and looked around the bar. Anne had left an hour ago, and Joe had followed suit. Angela had drifted off soon afterwards, leaving Tifa alone in the bar. It was OK, though, seeing there weren't any customers left, either.  
  
Wrong. There was one, but Tifa tried her best not to think about him. / Sephiroth. I wonder why, and how, he's here./  
  
The silver-haired ex-SOLDIER had spent all evening sitting in the corner. Tifa could not fathom what he was thinking about, and she was much too afraid to ask. After all, he was the man that had killed her father and burned Nibelhem to the ground.  
  
She glanced at the clock again. A quarter to midnight. / Might as well close early./ . She cleared her throat discreetly.  
  
" S-Sephiroth?" She asked, stumbling a bit over his name.  
  
" Yes?"  
  
" I'm closing the bar now."  
  
He nodded to show he understood, and got to his feet. He headed for the door, and Tifa was only a step behind him. ¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤  
  
Sephiroth stopped outside. Tifa looked at him, waiting for him to do something. However, he just stood there, staring at the sky.  
  
After a while, she got curious about what he found so fascinating, and stood beside him, following his gaze. She was surprised. He had been staring at the stars. She could understand him, they were truly breath taking. They looked like diamonds in the sky.  
  
She didn't know how long she had been standing beside the silver-haired general, when she became aware that he was looking at her. Being used to men staring at her, she just said the first thing that came to mind.  
  
" Enjoying the view?" She hadn't meant to sound so harsh, but she did. / Oh, crap!/ She thought, knowing Sephiroth wasn't the one for sarcasm. Unless he was dealing it out of course./Good work Tifa, insulting the deadliest fighter on the planet! He'll probably kill you now!/  
  
To her surprise, he just turned away quickly, and muttered an apology. Then he left swiftly, leaving Tifa very surprised. / Did I just see what I think I saw?/  
  
/ What?/ She asked herself.  
  
/ Was Sephiroth blushing?/  
  
END OF FLASHBACK 0000  
  
Tifa came back to reality, and turned away from the mirror. In doing so, she winced a little in pain. / How could this happen to me?/  
  
%%%%%%%%%  
  
Cliffhaaaaanger! I am evil! *insert maniac laugh here*. I'll have the next chapter up sooner, I promise.  
  
_ Metallicafangirl. 


	4. Small Town Blues

Fourth chapter! I am so sorry for not updating as I promised, please don't kill me!  
  
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Tearing her eyes away from the mirror, Tifa shoved the last of her belongings in her backpack. She had packed all of her clothes, (they weren't many, because Tifa wasn't the kind of girl who had to have stacks of clothing just to survive), her fighting gloves, her Materia and all other little things she held dear. Even with all of those things, it had made a despairingly small pile on her bed.  
  
She looked around the room one last time. She was running away, and she wasn't coming back. Resolutely she shouldered her backpack, and climbed out the window. She didn't dare to use the front door, in fear that Brent might catch her. / Brent..That bastard!/  
¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤FLASHBACK¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤  
  
After that night when she had watched the stars with Sephiroth, she had come to work as usual, finding him standing at the door. They had exchanged a good morning, and the day went by as normal.  
  
For two weeks, this was how her days looked like, waking up, opening the bar, giving Sephiroth a glass, and closing the bar in the evening. Sephiroth came before she did, and left when the bar closed.  
  
Then, one morning, not more than three days ago, Brent had stopped her on her way out the door.  
  
" Tifa, wait!"  
  
" What is it Brent? I'm in a hurry."  
  
His face had clouded over, and he put down his glass.  
  
" Who is it you're cheating on me with?" He asked. Tifa was shocked.  
  
" I'm not cheating on you with anyone! How dare you say that!"  
  
" Cut the crap, Tifa! I know you're cheating on me! Why else do you leave home so early in the morning, and come home so late? People have seen you, Tifa! Who is the guy in black?" Brent got up and grabbed Tifa's arm, making her flinch away.  
  
" That is just a bar customer! I'm not cheating on you!" She exclaimed, but Brent only shook her harder.  
  
" Don't you dare lie to me bitch!" He yelled, slapping her across the face. The slap stunned Tifa, she had never expected that Brent would hurt her on purpose.  
  
Brent only seemed to get angrier when she didn't respond, and continued hitting her. It had continued for a while, but in the end, Tifa had managed to get away, and lock herself into her room.  
  
¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤END OF FLASHBACK¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤  
  
She hadn't gone to work that day, or the day after that, or the day after that, either. She had stayed in her room, refusing to come out even when people came looking for her. Now she was leaving Nibelhem again, but this time, she wasn't coming back.  
  
She regretted that she couldn't leave a message to her friends, but it couldn't be helped. If she tried, there was a good chance she would be caught, and there was no way in hell she was going back to Brent.  
  
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Tifa stood looking out over Nibelhem. / My hometown...I hate to leave it, but somehow, I always end up doing just that./ She turned around. / Where to go? I could. go and see Cid and Shera, or visit Barret. Either way, I'm leaving. Wait! I could go and see Nanaki! I haven't seen him in a while./ Without a backward glance, she headed off to Cosmo Canyon, to see Nanaki.  
  
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.. And that is all, for this time. I will be back, but I can't promise it will be soon. Ciao! - Metallicafangirl 


	5. A Decision is Made

Fifth chapter. I'm sorry for not updating, but I've had a terrible writers- block. Hopefully, this chapter will be longer than the last.  
  
A/N: I would like to warn anyone reading this, it was along time since I played FFVII, and I can't remember exactly how the world map looks like, and therefore the directions and locations are a bit vague.  
  
¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤ The same morning.  
  
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Sephiroth had taken to coming to the bar early in the morning, when only Tifa was there, to spare himself from the questions that were likely to occur. Over the weeks it had almost become a ritual.  
  
They wouldn't talk much, but neither of them were very talkative. Even if they didn't talk, he had learned things about Tifa that he was sure no one else knew, at least none of her former comrades in AVALANCHE. Like how she wasn't really a morning person, but she pretended to be just so that others would be able to sleep longer, knowing she was taking care of everything. Like how much she despised broccoli. (He had been present when one of her co-workers had offered her a piece. His ears were still ringing.) Little things, but he liked the fact that he knew them.  
  
Now he was on his way to Seventh Heaven. He hadn't figured out why exactly he still hung around the bar. After all, he should be in Midgar, to re-join the ranks of SOLDIER. That had been his original plan, at least.  
  
He reached the bar, and was surprised when it wasn't open. That was not usual. Something must be wrong, Tifa was never late. Sure, he had been busy the last few days, but he was sure he had seen Tifa yesterday, near the bar. Sephiroth stood there, uncertain of what to do. He couldn't go and check if anything was wrong, since he didn't know where she lived. He might as well go back to his hotel room.  
  
" Excuse me sir?" A voice called behind him.  
  
He turned around and faced a young girl, who was coming towards the bar. He recognized her as one of Tifa's co-workers, Anne, or something like that.  
  
" Yes?"  
  
" We don't open yet. But you can come back in about two hours."  
  
Sephiroth nodded, and turned to walk away, when a thought struck him. This girl ought to know..  
  
" Do you know where Ms Lockheart is?" He asked her, ignoring the strange look she gave him.  
  
"Yes. She won't be coming today, she's ill." She answered. Sephiroth's eyebrows knitted. That was odd. Tifa had been perfectly fine the day before. He didn't know of any virus that struck that fast.  
  
" When is she expected to be back?"  
  
" I'm not sure. Tomorrow, maybe?"  
  
Sephiroth thanked her, and left. /If Tifa saw me now, she'd laugh. I never used to say thank you. Not even before JENOVA./ He thought, and then mentally slapped himself. He wasn't supposed to care about what others thought, least of all her.  
  
Now he was certain something was seriously wrong with Tifa. She wasn't the type to get sick over night. In fact, she had been almost annoyingly healthy over the three weeks he had come to know her. /Stop it, Sephiroth! You are not going to care about the health of your enemy!/ Former enemy, he reminded himself. / You might as well leave Nibelhem. You should have done so long ago./  
  
Much as he hated to admit it, he was right this time. Ever since he had come back, there had been this annoying presence in the back of his mind, like a voice of reason. Every time he found himself doing something that the great General Sephiroth wouldn't have done, it popped up in his mind, pointing it out to him. It wasn't as powerful or as convincing as JENOVA had been, but it was annoying never the less.  
  
He was right this time, there wasn't anything for him here. He should have left a long time ago, but something had held him back. Now he knew what it was. Tifa Lockheart. He had allowed himself to get close to the girl, he had started to care. That was definitely not good. If he cared, there was a possibility that she could hurt him. It made him a target. It made him weak.  
  
He glanced back at the bar, and made his decision. He would leave Nibelhem while he still could. He would push any thoughts of Tifa from his mind, and he wouldn't care about her. He would go to Cosmo Canyon and forget e ever met her. It was the best thing to do.  
  
Sephiroth made sure that there was no one else on the street, and then jumped up on the roof of the building beside him. He looked out over the roof tops of Nibelhem, as if imprinting the sight in his memory. He shook his head. Lingering here would serve no purpose.  
  
He left Nibelhem without a backward glance. The place had no significance to him, none at all. /That's right, Sephiroth. It is only a pathetic excuse for a village. You might as well burn it down again /  
  
This time, he ignored his ´inner pyro´, and continued walking. Once was enough. He wasn't about to burn it down again, that would be rather useless, as the inhabitants would only rebuild it again and again, no matter how many times he burned the wretched place to the ground.  
  
/But why not let them rebuild it? They are lazy anyway./  
  
He growled in frustration at the voice in his head. It was getting on his nerves, and nothing he did could stop it. Of course he could ignore it, but it was getting hard to do. Once again, he shook his head, and walked on.  
  
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And that's it for this chapter. I will get somewhere with the plot soon (Or at least I hope so).  
  
I would like to thank my reweiwers! You are great for my confidence!  
  
Ice-Angel - Well, you'll see about that.  
  
Angel Sassy - Here it is.  
  
Lady Death - I probably won't update so soon, because of my other fics.  
  
The Great Anonymous - Thank you.  
  
GAU28 - Aww.*blushes* Thanks! I'm glad you like it.  
  
Volk Zyta - I thought so too. That's why I'm writing it.  
  
miss d - It was you who stole them? No wonder I couldn't find them when she asked for them.  
  
Miko no Kikyou/Kasumi - Here you go. 


	6. The Road to Cosmo Canyon

Sixth chapter! I'm updating faster again! Before I start, I would like to thank my reviewers;  
  
Ice-Angel - Glad you liked it. Um, I don't know if it's cute, but thanks all the same.  
  
Volk Zyta - Yep, inner conflicts, alright. I can't let him be completely sane at once, now can I?  
  
Faerlyte - Thanks *blushes*. I like this one the best too.  
  
Ettain Lonsdale - *blinks* wow. Really? Uh, thanks. And yeah, she was too surprised to hit back.  
  
Yunie*angel - Ice-cream? I'll be sure to try that one out if I need it. Thank you for adding it you favourites.  
  
Blue Tajiri - Thank you.  
  
Here we go then. Once again, if any of the directions or geographics are wrong, please don't be too hard, I haven't played in so long.  
  
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After having silenced the voice in his head, at least for the time being, Sephiroth continued on his way to Cosmo Canyon. Why he chose to go to Cosmo Canyon, he didn't know. It just seemed to be the right choice. It was secluded, if he recalled correctly.  
  
The path he followed was narrow and full of rocks and other things like sticks and branches. Unbidden, an old saying came to mind. ´Sticks and stones can break my bones, but words will never hurt me.´ Why did he bother with old sayings that was only a bunch of crap anyway? Whoever had said that had been clearly deranged.  
  
He broke out of his reverie when he heard a sound from behind him. Someone was approaching along the path. Sephiroth stood absolutely still, holding his breath, waiting for whomever it was to come close enough. A few seconds later, he spun around, the Masamune held high. He stopped short of slicing through Tifa's throat with the long silver blade.  
  
* * * * * *  
  
She had been walking for a while when she came around a bend in the little path she was following, and came face to face, or rather throat to edge, with Sephiroth's Masmune. She had been lost in thought, and hadn't noticed him until the last possible minute. Looking down the length of the razor sharp blade, she gulped. Sephiroth looked like he was about to rip out her throat. Which, she realized, he more or less was.  
  
When he saw it was her, he quickly lowered his blade. He opened his mouth to shout at her for being stupid enough to startle him like that, but then he realized she shouldn't even be there; she was supposed to be home, ill. Instead she was here, in the middle of the night. He shut his mouth again.  
  
Tifa ducked her head to hide her face from him. She still had bruises on her face after her encounter with Brent, and she didn't want him to see them. She half-turned, and willed her racing heart to slow down. She stared at the ground, seemingly fascinated with her shoes. Brent.She was going to kill him for this.  
  
"What the hell are you doing here?" His melodic voice broke her out of her reverie.  
  
She looked up at him through her bangs, and noticed he looked more like the old Sephiroth than the one that had been visiting her bar.  
  
"Answer me."  
  
"I'm going to Cosmo Canyon, to visit Nanaki." She told him.  
  
"At four in the morning?"  
  
"There is no time like the present, eh?" She tried to joke, but fell flat to the ground.  
  
He seemed to accept her explanation. He turned around, and headed down the path towards Cosmo Canyon. Relaxing a bit, Tifa followed him.  
  
**** * * * * * ****  
  
After a while, Sephiroth became aware that she was behind him. They had entered a forest that Sephiroth couldn't remember, but there were many things he couldn't remember about the Planet. Annoyed, he turned around to face her again.  
  
"Why are you following me, Tifa?" He asked her, irritation clear in his voice.  
  
"I'm not following you, Sephiroth. I'm going to Cosmo Canyon, which just happens to be that way." She answered, but he wasn't listening.  
  
She realized a moment too late that he had caught sight of her face. She tried to hide behind her bangs, but he was too fast for her. He grabbed her chin, and forced her to look him in the eye. For the second time that evening, Tifa's heart raced.  
. . . .  
  
******  
  
And that's IT! *cackles* I am EEEEEVIL! Cliffhangers! Uh, anyway, I had a bit of a writer block (and about five other fics going at the same time.) so this chapter took longer than I expected, and it turned out to be shorter than I had originally planned. Sowwy. Hopefully, I will get over the writers block, and this fic will get somewhere. I have some of it planned, and Vincent is gonna make an appearance! Yay! We all love Vinny, don't we?  
  
- Metallicafangirl 


	7. A Visit From A Friend

Um, Ice-Angel sent me a quite frustrated review, saying the last chapter was a bit too short. So, um, this one will be longer.  
  
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Vincent sighed softly. He really hated crowds, and still, here he was, standing in front his friend Tifa's bar, getting ready to enter. He pushed the door open, steeling himself for the stares he was no doubt going to receive, but instead of h crowd of bar guests, he was met by a room, empty, with the exception of a young girl behind the counter. It wasn't Tifa, and this puzzled him. He walked up to the counter, and the young girl looked up at him.  
  
"Can I help you, sir?" She asked.  
  
".I am looking for Tifa Lockheart." He answered. The girl looked at him strangely.  
  
"Funny, you're the second person that asks that today. She's off sick. I don't know when she will be back."  
  
"." He stood there, not sure what to do next.  
  
"Was there something else?"  
  
".Where does she live?"  
  
Once again, the girl looked at him strangely. It was a bit unnerving, but of course, he didn't show it.  
  
"Insistent, ain't ya? Well, you'll get nothing for it, she's engaged to Brent Collins." She told him, one eyebrow raised. Vincent blushed, thankful that the cloak hid his face as much as possible.  
  
":..I'm a friend of hers. I am worried about her."  
  
"Sure, that's what they all say. But she told me not to show any strangers to her house, 'cause she got tired of men trying to get into her pants."  
  
" .I will not waste more of your time, then." Vincent said, turning to leave.  
  
"Wait!" The girl called before he reached the door. Vincent turned, looking at her silently.  
  
"Are you really her friend?"  
  
Vincent nodded.  
  
"Prove it."  
  
".I can't. I am Vincent Valentine, but I have no proof that I am Tifa's friend."  
  
"Vincent Valentine? She talked about you: She said you were one of her best friends." She said, smiling at him now, all traces of doubt gone from her face. She walked up to him, pulling out a card saying `CLOSED´ from beneath the counter.  
  
"C'mon, I'll show you to her place." She said. Vincent nodded, and followed her without a word.  
  
*******  
  
He walked in silence behind the girl that had introduced herself as Anne. He reflected as he walked though Nibelhem that he was supposed to know his way around this place, but he didn't, not anymore, at least.  
  
/Thirty years in a coffin'll do that, Valentine/ Chaos piped up.  
  
/Shut up/ Vincent replied.  
  
They arrived at Tifa's house a few minute later. Vincent looked up at the house, and absently noticed that a window on the second floor was hanging open. He snapped out of his thoughts when Anne knocked on the door. It was answered a minute or so later by a man whose resemblance to Cloud was too close for comfort.  
  
"What?" He growled.  
  
"Um, Mr Collins, sir, we're here to see Tifa." Anne said. Vincent looked sharply at her. There was something in her voice she seemed afraid of the Cloud look-a-like.  
  
"She's upstairs, asleep. She can't take any guests now." There was a faint trace of panic in his voice that made Vincent take a step forward.  
  
".Then wake her up." He told the man.  
  
"Why should I? You can't make me." The man sneered. Vincent calmly reached out his claw, and snatched the man up to his face, grabbing him by the collar.  
  
" Wake her up."  
  
"She- it, I ,you can't!" The man choked out in panic. Vincent dropped him down on the floor, and stepped into the house. Obviously, the man was hiding something. He ignored Anne, who was standing in the doorway, staring at the now unconscious Mr Collins. He surveyed the house, taking in the mess in the living room, the bloodstains on the carpet, and the cut and bruises on Mr Collins face. Slowly, he started to solve the mystery around Tifa.  
  
He walked up the stairs to the room with the open window, and found it empty. It was Tifa's room, he could tell by the clothes scattered across the floor, and the pictures lining the walls. He made his way down to the hall again, where Mr Collins had woken up again, and was currently standing by the door, holding a hunting rifle. Never once changing his expression, Vincent reached out, snatched the men by his collar again, and brought him up to face him.  
  
"Where is Tifa?" He asked.  
  
"It's none of your bloody business!" Collins yelled. Vincent tightened his grip.  
  
".Let's try again. Where is Tifa?"  
  
"I don't know! How the hell should I? That bitch ran off!"  
  
Vincent drew his own Death Penalty, not loosening his grip, and pointed it at the mans temple. Collins gulped, and suddenly looked very scared.  
  
".Do not refer to her like that again, or I will be forced to kill you, on behalf of Avalanche."  
  
Satisfied that the man wouldn't do anything that stupid again, Vincent put him down again, and re-sheathed his gun. He walked out the door, but before closing it, he looked back at the man lying on the floor.  
  
"If you ever touch Tifa again, you will not live long enough regret it."  
  
*******  
  
My seventh chapter, and the promised visit from Vincent. He will be around some more in the chapters to come, but next chapter will be about Seph and Tifa. Please review.  
  
- Metallicafangirl 


	8. The Truth Is Told

I'm sorry I haven't updated in a while, but I have been busy with the others fics, and then I just didn't feel like writing. I know you want to hurt me for that, but please, you want his fic to be good, right? If you do, you'll just have to wait until I get in the mood for writing, otherwise, it won't be good at all.  
  
And before I begin, I want to thank all my reviewers! You are the best!  
  
DracOnyx - I'm glad you're enjoying it! I updated as soon as I could.  
  
Volk Zyta - I agree! Yay, indeed. I love Vincent; he's just so utterly cool. Don't worry, you'll find out what happened tom the other two.  
  
The Highwaywoman - Badass? I was only trying to make him protective of his friends, but I guess you're right.Thanks anyway.  
  
Talon DragonFriend - I don't really know what he's going to do yet. Yeah, it was perfect timing (almost, anyway!).  
  
me - uh, thanks!  
  
Ice-Angel - No, there isn't going to be one, but maybe I'll pair Vince up with someone else.  
  
Lynx -thanks, thanks a lot!  
  
DoA2 Kasumi - *blushes* I didn't know it was that good..  
  
The Great Anonymous - I will, I will, I will!  
  
*********************************************  
  
Tifa swallowed hard, trying not to show nervousness, but failing miserably. Sephiroth was still holding onto her chin, and it didn't seem like he was letting go any time soon.  
  
"Who did this?" He asked, and Tifa started at the coldness in his voice. When she didn't answer immediately, he asked again.  
  
"Who did this? Answer me!" He demanded.  
  
"...Brent." She said quietly, fearing that he might go ballistic.  
  
Sephiroth swore loudly, dropped her chin, and spun around, clearly intending to go back to Nibelhem and beat the crap out of Brent Collins. However, when he turned around, he didn't see the path they had followed. Instead, he saw nothing but dense forest.  
  
He just stood there for a few moments, before turning his head and looking at Tifa who was still standing behind him.  
  
"Tifa?"  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"Don't turn around now, but there's no trail behind you."  
  
"What?!"She exploded, spinning around to face him and the forest that had taken the trails' place.  
  
When she saw the forest, she let out a litany of swear words that would have made Cid Highwind proud. Some of the words made even the SOLDIER hardened Sephiroth wince. When she had finally calmed down enough for him to talk to her, he stepped forward.  
  
"Do you have any idea where the hell we are?" He asked.  
  
"Well, we might be in hell, but I doubt that. I thought you knew where you were going!"  
  
"Do not try to blame this on me, Tifa. I never asked you to follow me!" He snapped at her.  
  
"Never asked you to come to my bar, either, but you damn well did! If you hadn't come, Brent wouldn't have hit me, and I wouldn't be running around in the middle of a bloody forest, not knowing where the hell I'm going!" She yelled, anger that he tried to put the blame on her.  
  
Sephiroth was just about to dress her down for insulting him, when his brain caught up with his ears, and he realized what she had said.  
  
" ´Brent wouldn't have hit me´....?" He trailed off. /That Strife-wannabe wouldn't have beat her if I hadn't been there? What the hell does she mean?/  
  
"Tifa." He said, trying to keep his voice steady despite all the confusion and anger.  
  
"What?!" She snapped, still angry about his accusations.  
  
"Tell me exactly how it is my fault that that blond defect with the brain of a chocobo in a meat grinder hit you?" He was still angry, but confusion was taking a front seat to any other emotions. How was it possibly his fault?  
  
Tifa bowed her head and blushed. How could she explain to her former arch- enemy that her fiancé had hit her because he had thought that she was cheating on him, with said arch-enemy?  
  
"I'm waiting"  
  
"He accused me of cheating on him." She said, still not looking at Sephiroth. She didn't want to tell him the whole story, and when he didn't say anything for a few seconds, she breathed out a sigh of relief. Alas, it was too soon.  
  
"How, exactly, does this have anything to do with me?" He asked coldly.  
  
"He thought I was cheating -" Here, Tifa stopped herself, her courage waning.  
  
"Cheating..?" He said impatiently when she didn't continue.  
  
"...With you." She whispered, hoping against hope that he would ignore it. Luck wasn't on her side.  
  
"With me?" The silver haired man asked blankly.  
  
*************************  
  
Sephiroth had expected anything, anyone. The village elder, the old man down the street, damn, even that slip of a girl that was taking care of the bar, but never him. Never in a million years. How could that imbecile think that he would ever do something like that? Better yet, why did the man think that it was him in the first place? It wasn't like he had hung around Tifa every chance he got.  
  
Damn.  
  
He had, hadn't he? But the man hadn't even been around! And most of the time, he hadn't talked to her at all. No, he had talked to her, now that he thought about it. He had talked more with her than he had talked with anyone else during all his years in life. But still, he couldn't imagine how that muddle headed man could get that to him sleeping with Tifa. It was just ridiculous, laughable! He stared at Tifa, who still wasn't looking at him. She was blushing like crazy, and seemed ashamed about having to admit anything like that to him of all people. She was twisting a strand of her knee length dark hair around her index finger, as if she was nervous. Was it really so ridiculous? He took another good look at her.  
  
He couldn't deny she was beautiful; in fact, she was one of the most beautiful women he had ever seen. And it didn't stop at looks; she was one of the most intelligent people he had had the pleasure to meet. She was witty, kind, compassionate, caring, yes the list was endless. It was beyond him how Strife could have ditched her for the air headed, ditzy, and above all dead, ancient, when he could have had Tifa. Well, it might just be another proof of Strife's undeniable stupidity.  
  
He realized he had been staring at her for quite some time, and gathered his wayward thoughts.  
  
"How did he ever get the notion that you would be cheating on him at all, much less with me of all people?" He inquired.  
  
"He said he had seen us standing outside the bar late at night. He got suspicious, and didn't believe me when I denied it. He screamed at me not to lie to him, and slapped me. Things kind of went down-hill from there." Tifa explained. She let out a breath she didn't know she had been holding when he seemed to take it somewhat calmly.  
  
Sephiroth was thoroughly shocked. He couldn't believe that the mere fact that he had talked to her outside the bar at closing time was enough to make the man so suspicious and angry that he had hit his fiancé. Unbelievable. He thought he was the only one who was supposed to be inhumanly cruel. 


	9. Trapped

I want to thank my reviewers, you are the best! I have gotten a complaint or what you want to call it about how I should add italics when someone is thinking. Thing is, I do just that, but then when I upload the bloody thing, the italics are gone! If anyone knows how I could solve my little problem, please tell me.  
  
Disclaimer: I don't any of the characters in this fiction, nor do I expect to make money of it. I write this purely for my own enjoyment. The characters belong to Square Inc.  
  
Anyway, on with the story.  
  
.  
  
"With me?" Sephiroth repeated. He couldn't comprehend what she was saying.  
  
"What lead him to believe you were cheating on him with me of all people?" He asked.  
  
"He said he had seen us standing outside the bar late at night, talking, and didn't believe me when I said that you were just a bar customer." Tifa said confessed. "Then he got angry because he thought I was lying, he hit me a few times, and I fled to my room."  
  
"Why, pray tell, did you flee to your room? Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't you beat me pretty badly? I do believe you did, so why should you have any problems with that helpless idiot?"  
  
"I guess I was shocked." She admitted.  
  
Sephiroth didn't reply to that; he had enough trouble controlling his temper. He couldn't for the life of him figure out why he was so angry, but that didn't change the fact that he was. In fact, he was enraged. He couldn't believe what that coward had done. But instead of pursuing the thought further, he turned his attention towards a more pressing problem; the disappearing trail, and how they should get out of the forest.  
  
He turned towards said trail, and inspected the branches blocking the way. Tifa herself joined him, and together they tried to find a way out.  
  
***********************  
  
Meanwhile, Vincent was making his way out of Nibelhem, following Tifa's tracks. Say what you want about them, but sometimes, the demons in his head were useful. Like right now, for example. He had found her tracks just outside the window and had followed them for some time when he reached a forest that he knew for certain hadn't been there when he came to Nibelhem this morning. Which was very strange, as forests, at least in Vincent's experience didn't just appear in a matter of hours. Swearing softly to himself, he found that Tifa's tracks lead right into that very forest. That was not good. Sighing, he headed into the forest in search of his friend.  
  
And seconds after he had disappeared into the woods, a shadow slipped out of hiding behind a large rock and followed him.  
  
***********************  
  
After several unsuccessful attempts to remove the tree-branches, Tifa and Sephiroth gave up, and instead opted to sit under one of the large trees in the clearing, waiting for someone or something to happen. The branches had resisted any blows or cuts they had dealt to them and not even a fire spell could even mark them. So in the end, they had to give up.  
  
Sephiroth leaned back against the tree and studied Tifa as she braided her hair into an even plait. Not even the dim light of the forest could conceal the bruises on her face and arms, and once again he got angry at the brainless twit that had caused those bruises, and he got angry with himself. He was angry at himself because he had stayed in Nibelhem when he should be heading for Midgar, because he caused the argument between Tifa and her imbecile fiancé, because didn't leave the village fast enough. But mostly he was angry with himself because he cared about her at all. He wasn't supposed to care whether she lived or died, but here he was, worrying about her when she had a few bruises on her face. Pathetic. He had really changed since he was sent back. Either that, or he had hit his head. Hard.  
  
Tifa finished her plait and threw it back over her shoulder. She was aware of Sephiroth looking at her while she was braiding it, and she wasn't really sure how to handle that. She had become attached to him over the weeks he had come to the bar, but he was still the man that had killed her father and tried to become God. He had been kind to her since he had come back, but there was still the fact that he could be planning something. He wasn't exactly dumb; on the contrary, he was one of the most intelligent men she had ever met. There was a chance that he was using her for some scheme of his. She wouldn't put it past him to do so. But, she decided, for now she would trust. Innocent until proved guilty, as they said. Deciding that that was the right course of action for right now, she too leaned back against the tree.  
  
************************  
  
Vincent started to regret entering the forest. Wherever he turned there were branches blocking his way, and he had been forced to cut his way through several times. His cloak was ripped and torn and his trousers would never be the same again. And he had this nagging feeling of being followed, even though he hadn't seen anyone. Nearly two hours had passed since he had entered the forest, and he hadn't gotten closer to the other end. But a few minutes ago, he had seen a glimmer of sunlight ahead, indicating either the end of the accursed forest or a clearing. Gritting his teeth to keep from screaming in frustration when his cloak once again got caught in the underbrush, he struggled onwards.  
  
***********************  
  
In the clearing, everything was quiet. Tifa barely dared to breath in fear that Sephiroth might turn from the kind and nice person to his earlier personality of Homicidal Maniac/Son Of Two Mothers/Wielder Of A Sword Taller Than Something Really Tall, and Sephiroth didn't dare to say anything because he was afraid she might realize she was sitting a mere few inches from her former enemy and run screaming. Shortly, they both were afraid the other might turn on them and everything would go the hell, and didn't dare to speak. Therefore, they could clearly hear someone approaching in the forest, swearing all the way. Tifa's brow furrowed; she vaguely recognized the voice, but couldn't place it.  
  
"Who's there?" She called out.  
  
The swearing ceased immediately, and the person stopped.  
  
"Tifa?" The person asked, and Tifa jumped to her feet.  
  
"Vincent! What are you doing here?" She asked her long time friend as he finally fought his way out of the underbrush.  
  
"Looking for you. Barrett wanted me to-"He stopped abruptly when he saw Sephiroth sitting in the grass.  
  
Tifa also seemed to have realized that he was still there and quickly reached out and put a hand on Vincent's shoulder, restraining him. Vincent looked over at her, brow furrowed, definitely not understanding anything.  
  
"It's alright, Vincent, he's not going to hurt us." Tifa said quickly.  
  
Vincent, still suspicious, lowered the gun he had drawn almost on reflex, and looked at Sephiroth.  
  
"Explain." He ordered.  
  
"It's a long story. It started a few weeks ago, when he came into the bar in Nibelhem." She started to explain to him. 


	10. Blood On The Grass

Two chapters in a day! I'm on a roll!  
  
.  
  
"And that's about it, I think." Tifa finished her story of why Sephiroth wouldn't jump at them and kill them the first chance he got.  
  
She looked from said silver haired villain to her friend. Vincent's eyes were looking a bit glazed, but he seemed to take it in a stride. The explanation hadn't taken nearly as much time as Tifa had expected it to, mostly because Vincent was the kind of person that waited until afterwards to ask his questions. And there wasn't much to tell, really. Sephiroth had turned up in her bar and turned out to be a really nice guy, and that was all there was to it. Now that the explanation was over with, the only problem left was how to get out of the bloody forest. Vincent did not recommend his way, as it would most likely leave them all hospitalized for a few weeks on account of blood loss. So now they sat in the grass, trying to come up with a way out.  
  
Vincent shared his story of Brent and what had happened since they had left Nibelhem. Tifa studied her shoes when he told of what Brent had called her, while Sephiroth started to plan the various ways he could kill the man. Vincent had barely finished his story when someone came out of the forest behind them, the same way he had come earlier. To the trio's surprise, it was Brent.  
  
He was carrying a hunting rifle. As soon as he saw them, he aimed it at them, with an insane expression in his eyes.  
  
"So this is where you're hiding, eh? ´Not cheating´ on me was it? You lying little bitch!" He screamed.  
  
Tifa got to her feet along with Vincent and Sephiroth and started to back away from the man.  
  
"Brent! What are you doing!?" She exclaimed, afraid of what he might do.  
  
"Shut up, bitch!" Brent shouted, and pulled the trigger.  
  
Everything seemed to happen in slow motion. Vincent drew his Death Penalty and aimed it at Brent, while Sephiroth shoved Tifa aside, but not even his superior speed could outrun a bullet. Thankfully, Brent's aim was poor, and the bullet his Tifa's ribs, bit didn't damage either heart or lungs. However, the damage was still severe.  
  
"Tifa!" Sephiroth shouted when she fell to her knees.  
  
He caught her before she hit the ground, holding her up so that she didn't hurt herself more. Carefully, he laid her down on the grass, and turned his head towards Vincent.  
  
"Kill him." He said simply, before turning back to Tifa.  
  
Vincent nodded, and reached out his claw and snapped Brent's neck in two. He looked over to where Sephiroth was kneeling over Tifa, who was alive, if barely. Hastily, he turned his gaze elsewhere. The situation reminded him too much of himself and Lucrecia. Hojo might not have shot Lucrecia, but he might as well have. When she gave birth to the very same man that was kneeling on the ground a few feet away, she died, and it was Hojo's fault. Hojo who had injected Lucrecia with Jenova-cells, and ultimately caused her death, and he, Vincent, had done nothing to stop it.  
  
Shaking off the thoughts of Lucrecia and his own sins, Vincent turned back the silver haired man.  
  
"Come. We must leave at once. The closest hospital is in Kalm." He said.  
  
Sephiroth looked at him in confusion.  
  
"There might still be time to save her." Vincent said, recognizing this kind of shock.  
  
*****************  
  
.  
  
I'm sorry this chapter was so short, but it was sort of a transport chapter. You'll get more and longer chapters in a while.  
  
- Metallicafangirl 


	11. Hospital Visit

Forty-five reviews! I must be good at this. Thank you all reviewers *bows*. You are truly great. Now, let's get on with the story.  
  
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Vincent watched Sephiroth as the silver haired man paced back and forth in the small waiting room outside the surgery room in the small hospital in Kalm. Tifa was in there right now, and the doctors were working very hard to save her life. Ever since they had come here a few hours ago, Sephiroth had been pacing in the waiting room, refusing to sit down even for a minute. All his invitations to sit down had been met by an angry growl and more pacing. Vincent himself had sat down in one of the uncomfortable chair as soon as they arrived.  
  
"How can you be so calm?" Sephiroth snapped at him.  
  
"I'm not. I just don't let it show." Vincent answered.  
  
Sephiroth sighed in frustration and ran his hand through his hair. He couldn't help it, he just couldn't stay put. He had a lot of patience, but now it seemed to have deserted him. Tifa had been in there for three hours now, and he was growing more impatient by the second. Not knowing what else to do he resumed his pacing. Unbidden, his mind wandered back to when Tifa had been shot.  
  
Those were the single most terrifying moments in his entire life. Dying didn't even come close to it. He could have killed Brent then. If it had been him, and not Vincent, he would have enjoyed tearing the bastard limb from limb. He knew what fear was; it was something that happened to others. He himself never felt fear, but in that moment, he had been afraid. More afraid than he cared to admit.  
  
Sephiroth didn't know how long he and Vincent had been waiting when the door opened and a doctor stepped in. Sephiroth's head snapped around to face the man, and Vincent rose from his seat. The little doctor took off his glasses, and smiled at them.  
  
"Are you here for Miss Lockheart?"  
  
"Yes." Vincent answered.  
  
"It was difficult, but we managed to get the bullet out. We wouldn't have been able to do so, if you hadn't come here so quickly."  
  
"Will she be alright, doctor?" Vincent asked.  
  
"Yes. Right now she's asleep, but she will wake in an hour or two. If you want to, you can go in there now."  
  
"Thank you, doctor." Vincent said quietly.  
  
They were lead into another room, well away from the surgery room. The walls were painted white, and there was one small window. In a narrow bed along one of the walls lay Tifa. The two men stopped in the doorway. Vincent put his human hand on Sephiroth's shoulder, and left the room, leaving the silver haired man alone with Tifa.  
  
****************************  
  
Sephiroth walked closer to the bed and sat down in the chair next to it. He watched Tifa quietly. She seemed so small and frail, lying there so peacefully. While asleep, no one could guess that she was one of the most fearsome fighters in the world. No one could ever fathom she was strong enough to break anyone who stood up to her. When she was sleeping, she seemed almost childlike, completely innocent. And, thinking about it, she probably was. Innocent, that was.  
  
Sephiroth continued to watch her, not once taking his eyes off her. He didn't even notice that the sun had moved until Tifa started stirring. Immediately, he sat up straight, watching as she slowly awoke.  
  
"..Sephiroth?.........What happened?" She mumbled.  
  
"You were shot." He answered, trying to keep his voce steady.  
  
".....Who? ..Brent?"  
  
"Yes" Sephiroth managed to get out between gritted teeth. He still hadn't forgiven the Strife look-a-like for what he had done to Tifa, and he probably never would.  
  
"Where is he now?" Tifa wanted to know.  
  
"....Dead." Sephiroth told her, barely daring to breath in fear that she might get angry at him. Once again, he was annoyed because of that fear.  
  
"Oh." Was all she said. Slowly, Sephiroth let out a breath he didn't know he had been holding. Too soon.  
  
"...Who killed him?"  
  
Well, might as well let her know the truth.  
  
"Vincent."  
  
"Oh."  
  
Tifa didn't look at him, and was staring at the wall. He raised an eyebrow. This wasn't the reaction he had expected. He could have taken screaming, swearing, even tears, but not this. He shifted his gaze towards the window, unsure of how to handle this new situation. Detachedly, he noticed that the sun would be setting soon. It had been nearly a full day since she had been shot.  
  
In the silence that followed, he heard a sound from the bed. At first, he was confused; he didn't recognize the sound, but then his mind kicked into action. Tifa was crying. She had her back turned to him, not wanting to let him see her cry. Sephiroth's heart twisted.  
  
Silently, he rose from his seat and walked over to Tifa, sitting down on the side of the bed. She immediately tried to hide her tears, but he took her hands to keep her from hiding her face. Tifa had been half sitting in the bed, with pillows piled up behind her back. Now she turned towards him, still crying, and buried her face in his chest. Sephiroth sat absolutely still, shell-shocked, before he put hi arms around her and held her as she cried. 


	12. The Endless Quest For Food

Well, here's another chapter. Not much else to say except to thank all my reviewers. You have no idea how much I love getting reviews!  
  
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Vincent turned away, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. Who would have thought that Sephiroth, the great general, would sit on a hospital bed, comforting his former enemy? Not Vincent, that was certain.  
  
When he had entered the clearing in that accursed forest, he had been so shocked at what he found that he couldn't string two thoughts together; Sephiroth, sitting peacefully beside Tifa, seemingly the nicest person on the Planet. No, if anyone had told him yesterday that that would happen, he would have put said person in a straightjacket. But now, it all seemed normal, appropriate, in fact. It was the way it ought to be.  
  
Over a few hours, Vincent had come to think of Sephiroth as someone to trust. Maybe it was because he was Lucrecia's son, maybe it was because Tifa trusted him, he really didn't know, but he trusted the silver haired man. Now, the only problem left was to convince the rest of Avalanche to do the same. That was certainly a mission doomed from the start. The only plus o it was that he wouldn't need to convince Cloud, as he would not be there. The only one who would be moderately easy to convince would be Cait Sith, or Reeve. But it had to be done, and he was the only one there to do it.  
  
Sighing heavily, Vincent picked up his PHS and dialled Cid's number.  
  
*********  
  
Inside the hospital room, Tifa had finally stopped crying, but she hadn't let go of Sephiroth. She still held on to him, and he wasn't really in a hurry to make her let go. Sephiroth's anger at Brent had taken a back seat to his concern for Tifa, which in turn had been shoved aside by simple contentment. So instead of letting go, he held her silently, running his fingers trough her hair.  
  
********  
  
Cid swore loudly when his PHS rang. He had been working on the Tiny Bronco's engine, and he wasn't very pleased with the interruption. Pulling offending machine out of his pocket, he swore again, just for good measure.  
  
"Yeah?" he answered.  
  
".Cid, it's Vincent."  
  
"Vince? How you been, ya &%¤% vampire?" Cid asked, puffing a bit on his ever present cigarette.  
  
"Good. I have a request."  
  
"Eh? Wassat?"  
  
"I need you to round up Avalanche and come to Kalm."  
  
"Why, is that %¤#¤ Shin-Ra messin' about again?"  
  
"No. Come to the Redrose Hospital."  
  
"Who got busted up this time?"  
  
"Tifa....Cid?"  
  
"Tifa!? Who the hell?!" The pilot exclaimed, nearly dropping his cigarette. Then he heard Vincent calling his name in the phone.  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Why are you swearing less than usual?"  
  
"I'm not!"  
  
"Whatever. Come to Kalm as soon as you can." Vincent said, and then he hung up.  
  
Cid looked at the phone in his hand, his cigarette laying forgotten at his feet. Then his brain started working, and he swore as loudly as he could. He swung around on his heel and started towards the house.  
  
"Shera!"  
  
********  
  
Vincent walked out of the waiting room after he talked to Cid, looking for a cafeteria or something, where he could get some food. He hadn't eaten since yesterday morning, and he was pretty hungry by now. Since Tifa was out of danger, he figured he could slip out to get something to eat. After all, she had Sephiroth to watch over her if needed. So, he set out to find the cafeteria.  
  
Half an hour of fruitless searching later, he ran right into a rather short black haired girl, neatly knocking her over. He managed to stop himself before completely trampling her, and reached out a hand to help her up, while mumbling apologies.  
  
"I am terribly sorry, miss, I didn't see you there."  
  
The girl accepted his helping hand and stood up, eyeing him.  
  
"Fancy you don't remember your friends, Vinnie." She said with a huge grin on her face.  
  
"Yuffie?" He exclaimed, his jaw somewhere in the vicinity of his feet.  
  
"The one and only! Wassup, Vinnie?"  
  
"But I only called Cid half an hour ago..."  
  
"Cid? Vinnie, what are you talking about?"  
  
Vincent shook himself out of his daze and focused on Yuffie. She had really changed a lot during the three years that had passed since he saw her last. She had grown taller, although she still couldn't be classed as tall, her hair had grown longer, so that it reached her shoulders, and she was beautiful. Once again, he had to stop himself from gawking at her.  
  
"I called Cid half an hour ago and told him to round up Avalanche and come here. But not even the Highwind can make it here in half an hour."  
  
"Well, that's easy to explain, Vinnie; I didn't come with the old rust bucket."  
  
"What are you doing here then?" He asked, still unable to wrap his mind around the idea of Yuffie as someone who didn't exclaim ´Grossness!´ and ´Gawd!` every chance she got.  
  
Yuffie blushed a bit before answering his question.  
  
"I'm kinda hiding from Godo. You see, he wants me to settle down with a Wutaian man and get some kids, so that he'll have some heirs to that lousy throne of his. And I don't want to. Not at all!" She explained.  
  
Vincent could understand that. Yuffie was not the kind of person who would accept someone trying to control her life. She would definitely not marry someone just because her father told her to, in fact, she was more likely to blow up and leave, just as she undoubtly had done. He watched as she waved her arms around, trying to emphasize her point. When she had cooled down, she drew a deep breath, and turned to him.  
  
"So, why do you want that old man here? Something's wrong?"  
  
"Well, yes."  
  
"´Well, yes´" she mimicked. "C'mon, Vinnie, tell me what it is already! I'm dying to know over here!"  
  
"Tifa was shot."  
  
"What!? Who'd shoot Tifa of all people? She's the kindest person I know! She never did anyone any harm." She looked at him, silently telling him to answer her question bloody quick, or she'd have his head on a plate.  
  
"Her fiancé." He said quietly.  
  
"Whaaaat? Nooo, you're not serious!" Yuffie sputtered.  
  
"I am. Look, Yuffie, can we hold this conversation somewhere else?" His stomach rumbled loudly. "Somewhere where there is food?"  
  
Yuffie nodded dazedly and allowed Vincent to drag her along the corridor in search of ´somewhere with food´. This time he found the cafeteria on the third try. 


	13. Explanations And Sleeping Beauties

Alrighty then, here is chapter thirteen. My updates for this story will probably be very sporadic in the future, as I have many other things to take care of. But I promise, I take this story very seriously, so it will continue.  
  
I am very sorry for the long wait you had to endure, but as a rule I don't write unless I have inspiration, and my inspiration struck for other stories. I have by no means forgotten the story, but I think you are worthy of a good chapter, so therefore I only write when I really, really want to, as that is the time when the chapters come out best. At least, that's what I think. Please don't kill me.  
  
******  
  
Yuffie stared at him open mouthed. Her eyes had glazed over, and she didn't seem to be in contact with the rest of the world.  
  
After they had found the cafeteria, and Vincent had gotten his food, they had seated themselves at a small table, and Vincent had explained the situation to her, leaving out the parts about Sephiroth. He though it would be too much at once. He had told her about Brent hitting Tifa, about Tifa running away, about Brent finding them and shooting Tifa, and how they had gotten her to the hospital.  
  
He hadn't told her about Sephiroth, as that would be too much at once. It was still a bit much for him to cope with, but it was easier for him to accept the thought of everyone's favourite silver haired villain as good, or at least nice. Sephiroth was Lucrecia's son, and Vincent had loved her. Accepting him was the least the gun man could do for his lost love.  
  
After ten minutes of silence, during which he ate three sandwiches and drank a cup of coffee, Vincent started to get impatient.  
  
"Yuffie?" He ventured after a while.  
  
"Y-yeah?" She answered, coming out of whatever daze she was in, and looking at him.  
  
Vincent shrugged inwardly, might as well tell her, he thought.  
  
"There's more to the story that that."  
  
"What? There's more?" She asked in disbelief.  
  
He was just about to tell her the rest, when Cid entered the cafeteria, along with the rest of Avalanche (not Cloud, of course). The pilot spotted them and came over.  
  
"Hey, Vince, what's this shit about Tifa getting shot?"  
  
"She was shot, but she will be fine."  
  
"Well, where is she?" Red XIII asked.  
  
"I'll take you to her room, but she is sleeping right now, so don't expect her to be up and ready to talk." Vincent said, and started towards Tifa's room.  
  
******  
  
After a while of holding her, Sephiroth noticed Tifa's breath slowing, becoming even. She was asleep. Uncharacteristically gentle, he put her down with her head on the pillow and tucked her in again. She needed that sleep.  
  
Standing up silently, he watched her. Her face was streaked by tears, and her long chocolate brown hair was tousled, but still she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. It was the innocence that seemed to make up her being that attracted him the most. She had seen her hometown burned to the ground, by him, she had had her father killed, by him, and the man she had loved had left her for a dead woman, which was partially his fault. Shortly, she had had one hell in life, but she still seemed innocent, something he was anything but.  
  
In the few short weeks, he had got to know her better than he ever thought he would, and she was truly a unique person. She was caring, she was compassionate, and she was the best friend anyone could have. If it was anatomically possible at all, her heart would have been bigger than her body. He smiled slightly. They had given his wings to the wrong person; she deserved them more than he ever did.  
  
Shaking himself out of his reverie, he walked to the door, to find Vincent and tell him everything was alright.  
  
*******'  
  
"Have a seat." Vincent told his friends. As they obeyed him silently, he put a hand on his forehead, trying to gather his wayward thoughts.  
  
"Alright, I will keep this as short as possible. It's going to be rather difficult, so listen closely." He interrupted himself. "Good God, I sound like a pre-school teacher. Anyway, I will get on with the story."  
  
"Tifa was shot by her fiancé, who as far as I know is named Brent. The reason for the shooting was that Brent thought Tifa was cheating on him. Which if completely ludicrous to all of us who know her. Tifa was running away from Brent, as he had gone a wee bit crazy and slapped her around. I'm not sure why she didn't hit him back. As I was saying; she was running away, and Brent caught up with her shortly after I found her in the forest.  
  
He had a gun, and being more than a little insane, he shot her. I killed him, and Tifa was brought here. She had surgery; everything is fine, end of story." He explained.  
  
"Well, there's more to it than that. When I found her in the forest, she wasn't alone. The man that was with her there, is in there," He indicated the hospital room behind him, "You all know him. His name is-"  
  
The door behind him opened, and a certain silver haired man stepped out.  
  
"She's sleeping, Vincent." He said.  
  
"- Sephiroth." Vincent finished.  
  
Avalanche sat like petrified for a few seconds, before scrambling to their feet, yelling and drawing whatever weapons they had with them. Sephiroth nearly jumped and quickly prepared to defend himself. The rage-filled Avalanchers were only inches away from Sephiroth when the loud bellow stopped them.  
  
"SIT DOWN!"  
  
Everything seemed to freeze; Avalanche, only inches from Sephiroth's face, Sephiroth himself, with his arms over his head to protect himself, Vincent sitting very still in his chair. He was the one who screamed.  
  
"Please." The dark-haired gun man added, almost as an afterthought.  
  
Yuffie, the only one who wasn't trying to tear Sephiroth's throat out, and instead opted to head for the door with everyone's Materia, turned her head towards him, and stared. Vincent had actually lost his patience. Oh. My. God.  
  
"Now." He ordered.  
  
******'  
  
Three hours later found them still sitting there, while Vincent was trying to explain that Sephiroth was a nice boy now, and that he wasn't going to kill them. This went on for some time, but in the end, he managed to convince them. 


	14. Revelations

Hey there. I would like to apologize for the long wait you have to endure, but I've been damn busy lately, what with all tests and grades being given. School's out in little more than a week, but I still have things to do, and I'm having a bit of a writers block. That applies for almost all of my stories, and as I've told you before, I don't write unless I feel like it. It makes for better chapters, I believe.  
  
But don't worry; The Other Side is by no means dead. It was the first of my stories to hit the 10 000 words mark, and so far the only one. It was my first serious story on ff.net, and it has a special place in my heart. Just to give you something for your patience with me, I'll give you a chapter. A mini-chapter, rather. Longer chapters are in the works, but I thought you deserved this one for waiting so long. And excuse the cliffie, ok?  
  
*******'  
  
"You mean Mr. Let's Blow Up The World over there is actually a #¤%&/& nice guy, and wants nothing but peace and love? Sorry, Vince, but that's not bloody likely." Cid protested as Vincent finished his little explanation to why they should trust Sephiroth.  
  
"Cid, listen. I trust him, and I am the most suspicious person I know." Vincent said tiredly, fed up with Avalanche's stubbornness.  
  
"But why, Vinnie?" Yuffie broke in.  
  
After a while, the little ninja had recovered from the shock she got when said ´Vinnie´ lost his patience, and was now almost back to her usual perky self.  
  
"Why what?"  
  
"Why do you trust him?" She persisted.  
  
Vincent stared at her for a while, and then looked over at Sephiroth, who was standing in the corner, well away from any stray bullets or claws. He seemed to be deciding whether to tell her or not. Finally, he seemed to decide on the former.  
  
"Because he is Lucrecia's son." He said quietly. Yuffie was just about to burst out in protests over that too, when Vincent raised his hand and continued.  
  
"And because he might be my son too." 


	15. Like Father, Like Son

Heh, I know the last chapter was short, so I'm going to give you a longer one.  
  
*****'  
  
"He's what?" Yuffie exclaimed, staring at Vincent open-mouthed.  
  
Her statement was echoed by everyone in the room except Sephiroth himself. He was staring at Vincent with an expression nearly identical to the one Yuffie wore, but many, many times worse. Yuffie ignored him, and went straight to asking Vincent the question that was on everyone's mind.  
  
"But how, Vinnie?"  
  
Vincent sighed. They all, with the exception of Sephiroth, knew him to be very secretive about his past with Lucrecia and Hojo, as he was secretive about himself even now. For him to tell any of it would be a great admission indeed.  
  
"You all know that I had a relationship with Lucrecia, and that she left me to marry Hojo. You do not know any details, and I have deliberately kept it that way. I am not sure of how much Hojo knew, but he was aware of our relationship. He must have been, for he never left the two of us alone in a room, and if we were, he always came up with some excuse for taking her away, be it research or experiments." Here, he stopped for a moment. Anyone with eyes could see that it was hard for him to talk about this, and he refused to meet anyone's eyes.  
  
"One night, when Lucrecia and I had finally managed to sneak off and be alone, it happened. I..I do not like to talk about it, and I will spare you from details, but it was that night Sephiroth might have been conceived. Might, mind you; Lucrecia married Hojo not a week afterwards. That night was the last I saw of her before the wedding, which Hojo so thoughtfully ordered me to attend to."  
  
He looked around at them, pointedly not looking at Sephiroth, before continuing.  
  
"I am aware that Hojo might be the father, as well as my evidence being very, very thin, but the possibility is still there. What of evidence, then? Firstly, I overheard a Soldier Guard at the Mansion talking to one of the servants, just after it was discovered that Lucrecia was pregnant, and they mentioned that it was odd, as it had long been a rumour that Hojo was not capable of having children. I had not been prior to this rumour, so I know not if it is true or not, but as stated earlier, the possibility still exists. Secondly, I know for a fact that they slept in separate bedrooms, and that they did not visit each other, at least that I am aware of. And that is no small evidence, considering that I had the night watch of the corridor."  
  
This was the most anyone had ever heard him talk, and when he was finished, he was met by absolute silence. Then, Sephiroth spoke up for the first time since Vincent had started talking. He stood by the window, looking out and refusing to meet anyone's gaze. Had it not been for the fact that this whole situation was absurd, he would have killed someone by now.  
  
"All my life, ever since I was little, I have been told that Jenova was my mother. Hojo always claimed that I was Jenova's son, and I had no reason to doubt him, although I had no idea whatsoever of whom Jenova was. Or what." He added, almost as an afterthought.  
  
He turned to Vincent, his bright green eyes clearly showing the confusion he must no doubt be feeling.  
  
"Now you tell me that my mother was a woman called Lucrecia. On top of that, you tell me that you might be my father, which is the most confusing revelation today, as I have been told I have no father. Of course I am not as stupid as to believe that, but how can you be my father when you look no older than me?"  
  
Vincent sighed, and tried to answer his question in the quickest way possible.  
  
"Appearances can be deceiving. The truth is a long story better suited for anywhere else than a hospital."  
  
"How the bloody hells can that, be your son?" Barret demanded angrily, waving his gun arm in the direction of ´that´. Sephiroth, as it were.  
  
"Oh, shut your mouth, Barret, can't you see this is serious?" Yuffie said, slapping his arm. Then she turned to Vincent and tilted her head to one side.  
  
"Vinnie, go stand beside him for a moment," She said, indicating Sephiroth, who looked a bit amused at her use of Vincent's less-than-welcome nick- name.  
  
Without a word, but with a long-suffering sigh, Vincent complied. He got up and walked over to his, possibly, son, stood beside him, and turned back to Yuffie with a quizzical expression on his face. Yuffie put on her trademark grin, and turned to the rest of Avalanche.  
  
"See? They look so much alike, it's frightening! If you ignore Sephy's hair colour, they could be brothers!" She said, waving emphatically at the two men.  
  
"Sephy?" Sephiroth protested; He hadn't been in their company for more than an hour, and already they were giving him nick-names. Horrible ones at that.  
  
Yuffie shot him a look that sparkled with mischief, and grinned even broader.  
  
"Damn straight, Sephy!"  
  
He groaned and buried his face in his hands. Vincent put a hand on his shoulder and patted it sympathetically.  
  
"You'll get used to it." He murmured assuring to his might-be son.  
  
"Hey, Vinnie?"  
  
"Or maybe not." He continued in the same soft tone before turning to Yuffie.  
  
Sephiroth watched as the man who might be his father tried to answer the ninja's veritable arsenal of questions. The rest of Avalanche seemed a bit apprehensive about the whole thing, and kept in the background, unlike the ninja who seemed to take it all in a stride. Not that he could blame them; he was supposed to be their arch enemy, and dead, on top of that.  
  
Quietly, as to not disturb them, he slipped into Tifa's room again. He wanted to let them sort out their thoughts by themselves, as he was going to do now. She was still asleep, and he walked up to the bed and sat down on it, beside her. He had a lot to think about, and not just about Vincent.  
  
Over the last few weeks, his life had changed dramatically. He was alive, first of all. He had become, if not exactly friends, then at least friendly with, Tifa Lockheart, his former enemy. Then, he had become the cause of abuse of her by her fiancé, who by chance wasn't Strife. And he had cared about that. He, the great General Sephiroth, who wasn't even supposed to feel. He had cared about what happened to a woman who was, or at least should be, of no importance to him.  
  
He looked down on her face, marvelling at how beautiful she really was. Somehow, this slip of a girl had wormed her way through his defences without even trying. He had found himself caring more and more about her, even though he knew he shouldn't. That could be dangerous, not only for himself, but for her too. But against whatever rules there were, he found himself getting closer to her, until at last he could talk to her about anything.  
  
Still, she was just a friend. It wasn't like he was in love with her, so there wasn't really any danger. He just enjoyed her company, her jokes, which made him laugh more frequently than any one else's, and spent more time with her than anyone else. He wasn't in love with her; that would be ridiculous. Or was it?  
  
It wasn't like he was a homicidal maniac anymore. Tifa had told him about what had happened to her father, but hadn't accused him of anything. It had been the same night that he had told her about how it had been like, being trapped in his own mind, with Jenova controlling his body. But Shin-Ra could still try to assassinate him, should they ever find out he was alive, and that would put her in danger. Danger meaning dead. If Tifa died, he wouldn't know what to do with himself.  
  
He stared down at her, the last thought running rampant through his mind. She shifted slightly and reached out a small hand, which he took in his large one. Her hands were so small that they nearly disappeared in his, yet they were capable of crushing a mans jaw without much trouble. As Vincent had said; appearances can be deceiving. Finally, he realized what exactly he had thought, and went as white as the sheets on the hospital bed.  
  
Gods help the Planet; he was falling in love with Tifa Lockheart.  
  
******' 


End file.
